Anyone with the ability to hit drives of 350-yards or more should be limbering-up for the Irish qualifying session at Ballykisteen on July 15, open to amateurs and professionals alike, with the top5 at the end of the day going to the European finals in Amsterdam on September 9 along with the top two from the 45-and-over age group and the top two ladies.

Who knows? The Irish winner might be set for the type of international stardom which has greeted Golfzilla himself since he gave up his career as a pharmacist in Alberta in 1997 to devote himself full-time to smashing the ball harder than most people can imagine.

He was just plain old Jason before he went to Japan and impressed the locals with the ferocity of his swing speed which gets into the region of 170mph (twice the speed of the average amateur). He can get the ball to travel in the region of 470-yards with regularity . . . about 50 per cent longer than the 310-yards average of the leading hitters on the PGA Tour . . . and he can even drive a golf ball straight through a telephone book! Soon after unveiling that trick, Golfzilla was born!

His ability to deliver the big blow on the day that matters has marked him as a man apart and sees him collect fees of 25,000-plus for giving motivational talks to major corporations. He has come a long way, quite literally, since he burst on the scene by winning the World Long Drive title in 1996 with a prodigious blow of 351-yards. When he held onto the title in 1997, 1998 and 1999 with ever longer strikes he became the man to beat.

Of course, every dog has his day and it looked as if Golfzilla was history when he aged into his 30s and stopped winning world titles as new technology and the lure of big prizes brought added competition. But he bounced back last October to gain the crown for a fifth time when hitting drives of 386, 373 and 368-yards in the final three rounds. Looking at those figures, there has to be a few Irish people who feel that they can compete. It is just a matter of hitting the right numbers on the right day. Irish tournament director John Desmond, a golf coach at Ballykisteen, has been there and done that kind of thing when he won one of these events in Scandinavia a few years ago and once hit a drive of 408yards at Hollywood Lakes.

"That was with Hurricane Charlie assisting, " he chuckles. Desmond is, of course, an athletic man and a former two-time All-American football place kicker. So he is ideally placed to advise would-be contestants on what to expect and how to prepare.

Michael Lavelle, who hails from Belmullet and plays out of The K Club, has represented Ireland in the finals and built a terrific game around his power to the extent that he is a regular competitor in the amateur championships and is a member of the Connacht interprovincial team. He gives an interesting set of insights to the long-drive world.

First of all, wild hitters need not apply. The contest requires players to make six attempts to land their longest shots into a grid measuring HOLE-IN-ONE CLUB WINNERS The winner of this week's hole-in-one competition and the prize of a Ping collection polo shirt, a fourball in Druid's Glen, a fourball in Druid's Heath plus a lesson with resident PGA Pro is Jimmy Russell (handicap 18) who recorded his memorable shot on the 9th at Balheary Golf Course about 40-yards across. Balls landing outside the grid do not count and life gets really tough if the first few attempts fail because all six shots have to be played within a time limit which is usually three minutes. Secondly, there is little point in showing-up carrying a driver bought off the shelf. Whereas the standard driver shaft measures no more than 44-inches the serious long-drive contestant will favour a 50-inch shaft. They were allowed to use shafts up to 55-inches long until new rules were introduced in 2005 to cool things down somewhat.

The shafts are stiffer than normal, also, as a shaft that is anyway soft will lag in an inconsistent manner causing a loss of control, and it is a good idea to have it all checked-out to ensure that the shaft has a high kick point.

This week's runners-up, who all receive six golf balls, ball marker and pitch repair kit are:

N.J. McAuliffe (23), 10th Castle;

Dominic Coleman (13), 8th, Howth;

Ray Groarke (16), 11th Glasson;

Pauline Fraher (29), 6th Balbriggan;

Jane Whiriskey (18), 13th Galway;

Orla Kirby (11), 2nd Charleville;

Thomas Hehir, 17nd Spanish Point;

James O'Brien (15), 4th Beech Park;

Sheila Lane (25), 15th Douglas;

Gerard MacEoin (12), 14th Skibereen; Jim Kirby (10), 18th Cahir Park; Michael Lyons (19), 16th Catlebar;

Michael McDaid (13),
Paudie Greene, (7)
1st East Cork; Gerard O'Kennedy (5), 6th Athlone;
Stefan McNeill (12), 14th Tandragee;
Noel Dillon (21), 10th Ballinasloe.